Essence of Succession
More Important Matters Soldat, Day 4 Ouside Kakariko Village "Ah, I see you've finally woken up. Was it a nice nap?" Kamen said with his usually smile as the paladin came to. "What happened, where are we?" Soldat asked in a daze. "The northern end of Hyrule Field. It seems to pushed yourself just a little to hard and..." Kamen paused as Soldat stood up and started walking back to the battle. "Ah, I wouldn't do that. The Hylian Army joined the fight. It seems war has broken out after all, and you can't be seen as picking a side. You'll just have to wait until things die down to negotiate with the Zora." "No," Soldat said as he started to shield his sword, though halted briefly as he noticed the cracks had grown again after firing off the seal. "You'll take care of that for me. I have other things to attend to." "Oh, and where are you going now?" the wind mage inquired as he watch Soldat start to head off towards the mountains. Soldat said nothing for a moment until finally stating his answer very bluntly without turning around, "to finish my mission." Kamen's eyes opened and his smile grew sinister, "excellent." Soldat/SnowPeak Mountain Range/Late Afternoon 4 The cold winds bit at Soldat's flesh as he trekked slowly though the frozen mountains. The same sharp winds kicks sheets of lose snow into the air making it impossible to see anything past his breath. It was only due to a small stone he'd been given before leaving for Hyrule that allowed him to press forward. Without it finding his destination would be impossible for anyone, but still it took ever ouch of his will to not throw the damn thing away. It wasn't the climb or how ill prepared for the cold he was, this was just something that with every fiber of he being, he didn't want to do. "I know here, hold out your hands," a small child said passing a pebble sized ball of light to his friend. "Wait I can't, hold on, the other child protested but his friend just smiled. "You can look, you're making it hoover. Try and stretch flat. Yeah like that, see I told you you could use light magic. Now you don't need to worry anymore," he said congratulating his friend. "But I didn't do this, you did," the other child protested. The friend shook he head, "no you shaped it yourself so that means you can use light magic. Uhh... I guess you just need a source for now." Yasu... "I guess you're leaving now," a teenage boy said with repressed sorrow and anger as his friend packed his things. The friend tried to put on a comforting smile, "I guess, they said now that I have an adult name I'm old enough to take on the roll of the Dancer of Light." "Seems pointless, guarding a silly rock," the teen said dismissively. “Oh don’t say that, Maiko will be guarding one of those rocks too and big brothers are suppose to be supportive,” he could tell what he was saying was only making things worse letting the root of the issue shine through. “I’m sorry, but you know this is important. On the bright side maybe I’ll find Vertias or our mothers while I’m there and-” “Those two are of no consequence,” he said with a chilling bluntness before his friend could finish his sentence, “Though I wish you luck in finding Mrs. Lumière.” “You know, I have to stay there but it’s not like you can never visit me right.” Yasu, Mrs. Lumie, Maiko... Veritas. Why did they all have too... Soldat arrived before a large stone arch way that was barely visible under the thick layers of snow covering the mountain side it was carved into. At first glance the arch appeared to be a dead end but the guiding pointed to a lever hidden nearby under a pile of lazily packed snow and frozen dirt. A faint muffled sound could be heard after pulling it but nothing initially stood out a changed. It was only because of because of prior instruction that he knew to look inside the archway passage for a small opening that had appear along the bottom of the wall. He stuck he foot in to feel around for the next level and upon tripping it the wall in front of him opened up revealing a series of stair cases. Arriving a top the stair, deep inside the mountain, Soldat entered the large circular chamber carved from marble. The room was almost cavernous in size but still felt somehow constricting two him. Either side of the room held a large curved staircase that lead to a balcony on the upper floor the encircled the whole room. In the center were six table high pillars meant to hold a gem each but for the moment were all bare. The only thing breaking the eerie homogenous visage of pure while marble where the golden triangle embedded into the center of the floor and an image of the Hylian Bird crest painted onto the ceiling. Standing in front of the pillar closest to the door stood a frail looking man holding a glowing yellow stone. The man waited to great his guest with a gentle comforting smile and a soft voice, “Hello Yuji, it’s been a long time. I’m glad you finally came to visit.” Soldat struggled to speak to words he rather chock on then left leave his lips but had to say never to less, "Dance of Light Ya- Tendresse de Lumière, it has... In light of your extraordinary abilities and the threat to world they would posse if enhance by the White Wings of the Divine; it has been determined that... It has been order by our Patriarch that it shall be removed from you with the understanding that the only way to accomplish this is with your- is with your ex-exe..." Yasu tried his best to comfort his friend, "its ok Yuji, its ok. This has to happen." "Damn it, I don't want to do this!" Soldat yelled, tears starting to form in his eyes. "There has to be another way. There has to be some way to control those things." Yasu just smiled and shook his head, "Arch Angel is far too stubborn for that, she knows with me she could eradicate all the evil in the world in just a blink of an eye. She means well, but she never learned to think of the consequences even after what happened with Death Mountain. It’s taken every ounce of my will to hold her here and I can't keep it up much longer." Confusion consumed Soldat as he tried to understand what his friend was talking about. He'd heard the name Arch Angel mentioned before but everything else seemed to be contradicting everything he's ever been told about the Wings. Yasu realized right away why Soldat was struggling, "Yuji these Wings, these Angel they're not what we've been told. They not gifts from the Goddesses meant to serve us. They powerful entities they allied themselves with us. They were just forces and nature and divine action once, but they've changed in their time with us. They've grown souls of their own and become more then they were. It's just that, well they're like children in that regard and I think we failed to raise them properly. Please don't blame her Yuji; you have to be the one to teach her now." "I-I don't- I can't..." the knight was unable to form words as his friend took his hand and guided them to his sword. "I'm glad you're the one to do this, I really am. It means we can set things right." As Yasu spoke he noticed Soldat's hesitance only increase. The Knight eyes wondered looked for any escape, and excuse, and divine intervention to stop this. Yasu noticed he friends eyes lock on the balcony about them where three of the other Dancers were observing them, "Don't worry, Maiko is in the chambers. She understands but couldn't watch this, and I'm sure you didn't want her to see." The Dancer of Light stepped back a few feet after finally convincing Soldat to draw his blade, "Now please Yuji, I'm ready." After another tormentingly long moment of hesitation, Soldat clenched his teeth and eyes shut tight and stabbed forward. The Blade stuck oddly, and when Soldat released the hilt and opened his eyes he saw Yasu had raised the Gem of Light at the last second causing Soldat's Blessed Sword to drive strait through it before piercing his heart. Soldat reached out to catch he friend has he started to fall back, slowly guiding his down down to the floor. Yasu struggled to whisper one final condolence to his dear friend, "It’s ok of Yuji, now I can always be with you. You don't have to be alone anymore." The Gem of Light exploded with a brilliant flash, reforming back on its proper pedestal. As the light faded that body of Tendresse de Lumière had vanished, all the remained in its place of Soldat's sword, now pulsating with a light more powerful and brilliant then the world’s most beautiful soul. Scene Soldat/Essence Sanctuary/Dusk 4 Soldat sat on a balcony overlooking the massive frozen mountain range as the light slowly faded from the sky. "Hey," his sister called out gently as she poked him lightly with her foot. Soldat merely gave a depressed grunt to acknowledge her presence. She plopped down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder, "this sucks." "Yeah," was all the knight could say before both fell silent for a long moment. Soldat finally broke the silence after several minutes of staring into the encroaching icy darkness, "I've had this feeling since... since this morning that I've been trying to ignore, because of what it would mean. I was just thinking though this mountain range is freezing, we live farther north and it’s not this cold. So I thought, maybe it was the Winged one’s fault like that Volcano, but then I instantly knew it was that case. Then, right before my eyes I saw how the fire mountain was made, and now I can't deny that feeling anymore. The White Winged- I mean Arch Angel, it’s in me isn't it." Maiko nodded, "Yasu... well here," she handed her brother back his sword that he had left lying on the floor since executing his friend. "He used the light gem and his own soul to bind Arch Angel to your sword. Now Arch Angel can only take over someone who can wield this, and they can only wield it if Yasu will let them. This, this never has to happen again." Soldat took the Sword of Light into his hands. He struggled to hold back his tears as he finally understood my meaning of his friend last words,'' “...now I can always be with you. You don't have to be alone anymore."'' Maiko backed away into the hall to give her brother time alone with his thoughts, and time to gather her own as well. Just as she turned to walk way so saw the blur of a blazing haired woman storm past her. "Téméraire, wait don't!" The woman only broke her pace for a moment to glare back at the water mage before continuing to rush Soldat. She picked him up by his collar and pulled back her fist that was engulfed with a liquid flame. The woman punched the wall next to his head. Droplets of water fire were sent flying in all directions, sever singeing Soldat's face. "You son of a BITCH!" Soldat calmly wiped away a small bit of flame that was burning into his cheek. Though he was almost thankful for the pain it brought him, as it helped him focus his thoughts and rebuild the mask he felt he needed right now. All outward signs of depression and remorse gave was to an air of self assured superiority, "You must the Dancer of Fire, what was it Te.. de du Ardent-Âme..? Or something of that sort. What is it that you want?" "Don't screw with me!" Téméraire roared ans he slammed her fist into the wall again. "It's bad enough that Yas-" she clenched her jaw tight and force herself to swallow her words before saying too much. A moment’s hesitation gave way to, relatively, more calm tone, "Not only did Tendresse de Lumière lay down his life for you. He gives that angel, his power is SOUL, to the likes of YOU! A kin slayer. I tried to tell him to let me make the key. I'd told him I'd make you a filing dagger, with a serpents soul would better suit a two faced backstabbing bastard like you. And I'd make sure it scorched your flesh every time you were forced to use it so you'd remember just where the hell you're soul is bound!" "This, again..." Soldat sighed with growing irritation."Veritas du Ceil was executed for desertion and theft. He abandoned the order and took the Black Wings of Balance. It was my duty to carry out his sentence and recover the..." Soldat stopped has he suddenly realized something very important. Téméraire couldn't believe what he she was her, "Abandon!? Of all the twist ways, is that how you justified this?" "He ran off to Hyrule, turning his back on our sacred duties." Soldat shouted as he refocused on the point at hand. Téméraire fired back in a rage, "He didn't turn away from a damn thing. He fought more and did more good here in Hyrule then he ever would have back home!" "He had an obligation to our people as our champion to lead us!" He yelled finally pushing the woman away from him to release her grip. The flame dancer’s body became engulfed in a blaze as her rage reached its peak, "which you would say is heresy. He was forced to leave and this is all an excuse. He didn't abandon a damn thing!" "HE ABANDONED ME!" Soldat scream roared across then endless mountain, and for a moment everything fell silent except for those three words echoing across the frozen wastes. He fell back against too well resigning himself to defeat, "he abandoned me, everyone always abandons me. Father died in battle, I can't begrudge him for that. Yasu and Maiko had no choice. Good riddance to my mother. Yuichi though, he was all I had, and he just left. Now I've killed him, I've killed my brother. I was told I was had to, and I let that anger fill me so it was easy, and so I didn't have to feel a thing after; but it was all a lie. It was suppose to push him, but I've seen an entire kingdom praise him. I was supposed to reclaim the Black Wings, but know I realize I failed in that and I have no idea where they went. I have spent the past four days being shown everything I believed, everything that has kept me going since Lord Protecter Chevalier saved me from that boorish woman's torment, has been a lie. And now, now you tell me there was some''t''hing', some real reason Yuichi left." Soldat let out a saddened laugh then sunk to the floor still too proud to show any tears, "you said I'm a kinslayer. You're right. My sins are too great, I expect your judgment. The Dancer of Fire raised he hand to strike the Paladin down, but quickly was stopped by Maiko, "Enough!" The fire mage looked ready to strike her down to get at her query holding back only out of profession courtesy, "Voie dès Ciel, do NOT get in my way, or I cannot be held accountable for the consequences." Maiko's resolve was unshaken, "Of all people here Téméraire, you are the one who has no place threatening me. I allow this because you deserved the right to grieve just like the rest of us, but don't you dare continue to pretend it Yuichi. Even it if it was, you were wrong. He didn't know about Death Angel and he didn't know about Yuichi's, 'heresy.' But if you want to press the matter," she pulled a small blue gem out from a pocket in her sleeve, "then by all means." The tension in the air began to rise until Soldat spoke up, breaking the stalemate of wills, "I knew." Both woman were caught off guard by the statement and didn't know how to respond. "I didn't four days ago, but I do now. Not about that Death Angel thing, whatever it is, but this 'heresy' you can't mentioning. I wouldn't call it that though, and I don't think the Patriarch would have at this point either, he'd just cover it up like he was doing, like father forced him to do by raising Yuichi to be the Champion while ignoring me. And I'll be honest, four days ago I would have thought it was impossible, but between his daughter's power, Rejectio no Ten cryptic story about his sister, and those memories his granddaughter unlocked I figured it out. Not to mention I did the math with our mothers age. Every time mother sent us off to the farm lands with father because she was mad at us for existing. Father was going there to see that woman Mariko, Mariko Ten. She's the sister the Amarillo Enlace told me about, and her son was Yuichi. He's only our half brother, wasn't he?" Maiko nodded, "he told me when he came to Hyrule. Don't blame dad for only paying attention to him though. He had to otherwise Yuichi would have been exiled to the farms. Yuichi told me he dad was planning to train you after Yuichi was given his adult name, a day later he..." Her brother raised his hand to stop her, "I know. Please don't say anymore, I don't want to relive the rest of that memory. It just, at the end I was the only who almost at risk of exile. I was just lucky Lord Protector Chevalier took me in a taught me divine magic." "I was wrong," Téméraire suddenly called out, "I'm not apologizing I'm just saying I had the wrong idea about certain details. It was Death Angel that forced Veritas to leave for Hyrule. It went crazy, maybe it always was, but he could hear it. Don't think this is letting you off the hook though. The only reason you get to live is because Yasu wouldn't want-" she chocked unable to finish her sentence. "Damn it, to hell with it!" Soldat was baffled as the Dancer of Flame ran off hiding her tears leave Maiko to fill in the blanks. "Death Angel, The Black Wings of Balance. Something is wrong with it, and Yuichi could tell. He said it had been building over the centuries, probably since the ocean was turn into a desert. It was power was starting to leak through like a Ma possession and it became erratic near other guardians some times. He had to leave the island just to calm it." Soldat's stomach twisted in a knot as his sister’s explanation finally put all the pieces together. "Oh god. I-I thought it was a Ma, it odd but I just shrugged it off. Those feathers, I should have known. With what you said, those things she said yesterday they all make sense." Maiko began to worry, "Yuji, what are you talking about." A look of absolute dread fell across Soldat's face, "What have I done, she's too young for this. Death Angel, it's in Shinsou." Southern Hyrule Field/Dusk 4 A decrepit figured wrapped in a tatter old cloak walked into to ruined fields of a small farm. Most of the crops had been trampled by a wave of earth, but a few strips remained. One in particular interested her, one left mostly intact, but half only half reaped. The figures ancient bones crack and popped as he bent down to pick up a scythe that had been abandoned where the farm work and eerily been ceased. The tool was aged; the blade chipped and rusted, the handle losing its lacquer. There was strange warmth it though, something left over from what it last rested in its owners hands. With the scythe slung over her shoulder, the woman who whom dirt considered old tracked at an elderly pace to a nearby tree where the earth was recently disturbed. She reached into her clock and pulled out a gem that pulsed with a purple glow. Before continuing with her plan, her attention was suddenly drawn to a light appearing from the nearby house. "Who's out there!? Shinsou is that you?" A woman yelled as she ran outside only to stop when she made out the figure by her husband’s grave. Hope of it being her daughter gave way to a sinking heart. The sinking heart quickly gave way to anger as she realized who that pile of rags was and what she was likely doing. "You! Hag! What do you think you're doing? Get away from there!" "Oh hohoho, if it isn't the widow. My condolences, but I'm busy." The woman raised he hand and her essence stone began to hover in the air over the fresh grave. The woman ran over continuing to plead with the hag, "No don't do this, I won't let you use him in your stupid games." "Games," the the hag seemed almost offended. "These are not games pup. This, all of these things had to happen. This is and was enviable. I'm sorry for your grief child, but know that with this your daughter will at least be safe." The woman fell the the ground to grief stricken to form any more words. The Essence Stone of Shadow pulse once and the ground below it began to rumble. The fresh corpse of Veritas du Ciel rose from the earth and hovered just below the Purple Gem. "Don't worry little pup," the hag consoled as she mustered was meager strength she had to lift the scythe into the air. She sung down as hard as she could and pierced through the essence stone and into Veritas's body. The field erupted with a brilliant purple light and when it faded, the gem had returned to the Hag, the body had vanished, and the scythe had now transformed. The once simple farm tool and been imbued with soul of a hero and linked to the source of a true element. It was now the Scythe of Shadow. "With this Veritas du Ciel is born again and forever more," the hag said and she rested the scythe back on her shoulder and started walking off into the night. "I'm sure he'll be able to save your daughter now. I'm sure he'll be able to save everyone. Oh hohoho." Soldat du Ciel, Season One End Category:Link64Gogetta Category:Soldat du Ciel